Rick Perry: Donald Trump’s ‘Offensive’ Rhetoric Bad for the GOP
HANNITY: “The two leading candidates for the Republican nomination now, both have no political experience, Donald Trump and Ben Carson. I know that Donald Trump and you had a back and forth a little bit during this campaign. He then tweeted out, when you got out, he said that you're a terrific guy. ‘I wish him well. I know he'll have a great future.’ What does that tell you when over 50 percent of Republican voters are going for an outsider right now?”
PERRY: “Well, it tells me that Donald Trump got that right when he talked about –“
HANNITY: “You being a terrific guy.”
PERRY: “-- when he talked about Rick Perry. -- (laughter) -- Yes, sir, I agree with him.
HANNITY: “The fight's over, right? Well, you also –“
PERRY: “Well, listen –“
HANNITY: “But you talked about –“
PERRY: “This never was a fight. This was about -- this was about issues. This was about tone. This was about -- I just think it's really not in the Republican Party's best interests for us to be using rhetoric that is so inflammatory, so hot –“
HANNITY: “Are you talking about Trump, though? I mean, it sounds like you're talking about –“
PERRY: “I am.”
HANNITY: “Do you think he's bad for the party? You don't think he's a conservative? What is your criticism?”
PERRY: “I laid it out I think very clearly is that the conservative principles is what the Republican Party has been about, those conservative principles that allowed minorities in Texas, whether you're African- American or Hispanic, to get ahead because you got to keep more of what you worked for. We went to the second highest high school graduation rates in the country over the last decade. We put regulatory and legal policies in place that allowed for the most dynamic job creation environment in America. That's what I'm talking about. We need to have conservative principles, not hot rhetoric. And all too often we heard this rhetoric out of Donald Trump that was very offensive to individuals. We need to be bringing people to the Republican Party who believe that there our principles. One of the things, I've been in politics for 30 years, but I will give you my read on that and a lot of people in the state of Texas unquestionably, we've pushed back on Washington, D.C. Nobody fought Washington any harder than I did. But Donald Trump's bullets going through Washington went through and hit people like myself, hit people like all of the governors that are on the stage, for instance. I don't believe this is the only profession in the world that your experience ought to be held against you. I think it matters to have really good, qualified individuals who have a record of success. Now Washington, that's a different deal.”
HANNITY: “I agree with you.”
PERRY: “We do need to blow that place up figuratively.”
HANNITY: “I have said many times there's a difference between the Republican conservative governors and what these Republicans in D.C. are doing by capitulating and afraid of their own shadows that they'll be blamed for a government shutdown. As you leave this part of the race, I assume we'll hear from you as the process unfolds. You do have a lot to be proud of, including the best job creation record in the country during the Obama years in Texas. And we wish you well, governor. Hope you come on often.”
PERRY: “We will, Sean. God bless you and thank you for what you do for the Republicans and for the conservative effort out there.”
HANNITY: “I appreciate it, governor, thank you.”
